Night of the storms

Thunderstorms were set to sweep across the South-East again today, bringing more chaos after torrential downpours.

Hundreds of homes in London were flooded last night as half the average monthly rainfall fell in two hours. Lighting struck at least two houses and the fire service was inundated with hundreds of calls.

One resident in Dulwich said: "The water was more than a foot deep. It was even lapping as high as the windscreen on some cars."

The storm caused gridlock on the roads, delays on the railways and closed Tube stations during the evening rush hour.

Heavy showers - including hailstones - continued overnight. A spokesman for the Met Office said today: "There could be further thunderstorms. We will certainly see some showers, but they should not be as heavy and a relatively strong breeze will keep the clouds moving." South London was particularlybadly hit. In Dulwich, firefightershanded out sandbags and St Jude's Church was flooded.

Georgina Cullem said from her 14th-floor flat in Herne Hill: "I can see water pouring out like a river from Brockwell Park. People are rolling up their trousers because it is up to their knees. They are sweeping water out of their doorways."

A bolt of lightning blasted a huge

hole in the roof of a terrace house in Harrow and set fire to the building. The family, who are understood to have young children, escaped unhurt.

Firefighters rescued their twometre pet snake from the debris of the fallen roof.

Lightning also struck a house in Stanmore, causing a fire. On the railways, commuters suffered

delays from Victoria station. The King's Cross Thameslink tunnel was also closed.

On the Tube, Circle line trains were not stopping at Aldgate. Clapham Common station was closed, and at Baker Street the Circle, District and Hammersmith and City lines were closed in both directions.